Mary McDonald

 

At the strong encouragement of my husband, Paul, I got my Advanced Open Water certification in 1976.  Scuba diving was near the top of my “never want to do” list, but I am forever grateful he talked me in to it because it didn’t take long before I was hooked for life.  The biggest problem I had diving in those early years was trying to keep up with him…he was an underwater torpedo!    One day the light came on…get him an underwater camera (Nikonos III film camera).  It worked, and life was wonderful under the sea!

When compact digital cameras came out with underwater housing, I purchased a Canon point-and-shoot.  Paul was still shooting film, but a trip to Little Cayman where I used the digital camera for the first time cured his “pure film” habits.  We discovered HUPS and joined in 2005, never realizing what wonderful friendships we would make and amazing photography education we would receive.

 

In an effort to keep my life simple and not make “work” out of my pleasure, I still use a point-and-shoot.  I have learned what its limits are and just go with what it does well…which is actually a lot.  I have learned its “rhythm”, so now I can compensate for shutter lag and actually capture that eel with its mouth open.

We have been blessed to make dive and land trips all over the world with HUPS friends, seeing parts of the world I had heard of and had to look up on the map to find out where they were located.  It’s hard to pick a favorite dive destination, but Bali and the Philippines are high on the list.  Actually, my favorites are the dives we all return from safely!